On Monday, Feb. 14, private partners, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and CEO of Jacobs Entertainment Inc. Jeff Jacobs came together for a ground-breaking ceremony at the historic Powerhouse at the Nautica Entertainment Complex for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

By JAMES W. WADE III
Staff Reporter

On Monday, Feb. 14, private partners, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and CEO of Jacobs Entertainment Inc. Jeff Jacobs came together for a ground-breaking ceremony at the historic Powerhouse at the Nautica Entertainment Complex for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

Over the next eight months crews will spend $33 million transforming the historic Powerhouse building into the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

The long talked about aquarium will feature 42 tanks and more than 70,000 square feet of aquarium related uses.

The facility will be developed and operated by Marinescape Eco Aquariums, which has created 21 major walk-through aquariums world wide. This will be its first facility in the United States and will open in October, 2011.

Its signature will be a 145-foot long Seatube, a glass tunnel providing a panoramic view of life under the sea.

"We take people right under water a foot or two away from six foot sharks, beautiful stingrays flying overhead," said Marinescape's Andrew Hearn.

The aquarium will also feature 10 exhibition areas including tropical rainforests, Ohio lakes and rivers among other things.

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is expected to draw between 400-500,000 visitors a year and create 40 full time jobs with a payroll of $1.6 million.

"It's a little change in our demographics," said developer Jeff Jacobs. "Twenty-five years ago, we opened with Shooters and nightclubs and comedy clubs and now trying to appeal to a broader audience, families and seniors. It's something down here for everybody."

Plans are already in the works for a $40 million Phase II expansion that will include a series of glass atriums along the Cuyahoga River with exhibits, many that will highlight Cleveland's history.

The announcement comes as work is already underway on the Medical Mart, Phase I Horseshoe Casino Cleveland and new Innerbelt Bridge project.

"Each of these projects adds to the overall strategy of returning Cleveland to a very vibrant active city," said Mayor Frank Jackson. "Alive 24 hours a day where there's prosperity, quality of life, all of these kinds of things we need to do."

"This project is another strong example of economic life returning to the Flats," Jacobs said. "The Greater Cleveland Aquarium will add a new dimension to tourism in Cleveland and continue the wave of new development on both sides of the river."

This will be the first aquarium Marinescape NZ Limited has built in the United States. It is expected that the construction of this new aquarium will cost over $40 million, with a $2 million loan coming from the City of Cleveland and other loans and donations coming from Jacobs Entertainment and FirstEnergy Corp.